Kel'el_Ware
Kel'el Ware
American basketball player
Kel'el Ware (born April 20, 2004) is an American college basketball player for the Indiana Hoosiers of the Big Ten Conference. He previously played for the Oregon Ducks.
| No. 1 – Indiana Hoosiers | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Center | ||||||||||||||
| League | Big Ten Conference | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (2004-04-20) April 20, 2004 (age 20) Sherwood, Arkansas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 242 lb (110 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | North Little Rock (North Little Rock, Arkansas) | ||||||||||||||
| College | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Ware grew up in North Little Rock, Arkansas and attended North Little Rock High School.[1] As a junior, he averaged 16.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 4.1 blocks per game. As a senior, Ware averaged 20.3 points, 12 rebounds, and 5.7 blocks per game.[2] He also played in the Jordan Brand Classic, Nike Hoop Summit, and the 2022 McDonald's All-American Boys Game during his senior year.[3][4][5]
Recruiting
Ware was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class, according to major recruiting services.[6] On August 9, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for Oregon over offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Illinois, Kansas, Memphis, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech.[7] Ware was also offered a two-year contract for $900,000 from Overtime Elite, but he declined offer and maintained his commitment to Oregon.[8]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kel'el Ware C |
North Little Rock, AR | North Little Rock (AR) | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Aug 9, 2021 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 93 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 7 247Sports: 7 ESPN: 8 | ||||||
Sources:
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Ware entered his freshman season at Oregon as the Ducks' second center.[9] He also entered the season as a potential first-round selection in the 2023 NBA draft.[10] After averaging 26 minutes played, 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks over the first nine games of the season, Ware saw a decline in playing time due to what Oregon's coaching staff believed to be an inconsistent work ethic.[11] He ultimately averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game on the season. At the end of the season, Ware entered the NCAA transfer portal.[12]
Ware ultimately transferred to Indiana.[13] He started at center in the Hoosiers' season-opener against Florida Gulf Coast and recorded the first double-double of his college career with 13 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals as Indiana won 69–63.[14] Ware set a new career-high with 22 points scored while also grabbing 12 rebounds on November 16, 2023, in a 89–80 victory over Wright State.[15] He re-set his career-high in scoring with 28 points in a 89–76 win over Harvard.[16] After the season, Ware declared for the 2024 NBA draft.[17]
Ware played for the United States under-18 basketball team at the 2022 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship.[18] He was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 15.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks as the United States won the gold medal.[19]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
- Davenport, Richard (May 7, 2021). "THE RECRUITING GUY: Ware keeps motor running on high". The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- Davenport, Richard (January 26, 2022). "UA signees, Ware get all-star invite". The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- Streng, Nik (April 7, 2022). "Future Oregon Duck Kel'el Ware to play in Nike Hoop Summit". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- Taylor, Erick (March 29, 2022). "Arkansas connections galore at McDonald's game". The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- Metzker, Graham (June 2, 2022). "Oregon Signee Kel'el Ware Named Finalist for USA Basketball U18 National Team". SI.com. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- Nemec, Andrew (January 19, 2022). "Updated rankings: Kel'el Ware, Oregon Ducks center signee, becomes consensus 5-star basketball prospect". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- Hansen, Chris (August 9, 2021). "Oregon Ducks land another 5-star recruit as 7–0 center Kel'el Ware commits". The Register Guard. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- Nemec, Andrew (September 1, 2021). "Kel'el Ware, Oregon Ducks 5-star center pledge, declines $900,000 offer from Overtime Elite, remains committed: Report". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- Prehm, Matt (November 9, 2022). "Dana Altman sees talent but also lots of room for improvement in newcomers Kel'el Ware, Keeshawn Barthelemy". 247Sports.com. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- Borzello, Jeff (November 2, 2022). "Newcomer Impact Rankings: Which men's college basketball freshmen, transfers will lead teams in 2022–23?". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- Crepea, James (March 27, 2023). "Oregon men's basketball center Kel'el Ware to enter transfer portal". The Oregonian. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
- Borzello, Jeff (March 27, 2023). "Oregon's Kel'el Ware, former top-10 recruit, to enter portal". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
- Borzello, Jeff (April 10, 2023). "Oregon center Kel'el Ware transferring to Indiana". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
- "Indiana basketball beats FGCU thanks to Kel'el Ware, Gabe Cupps debuts". Indianapolis Star. November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- "Kel'el Ware came to IU with point to prove. He's playing like it, and Hoosiers need it". Indianapolis Star. November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- "Career games for Ware and Mgbako lead Indiana past Harvard 89-76". ESPN. November 26, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- "Indiana basketball sophomore Kel'el Ware declares for 2024 NBA draft". Indianapolis Star. March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- Crepea, James (June 3, 2022). "Oregon signee Kel'el Ware to play for USA Basketball's U18 men's national team". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- Crepea, James (June 13, 2022). "Oregon signee Kel'el Ware, USA Basketball's U18 men's national team win gold at Americas Championship". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 9, 2022.